PAVIA VOGHERA – The recent European athletics championships. Held in Rome. They have given the Italian national team important and prestigious results. This will bring a winning image. Which hopefully will encourage many young people to try this sport. As had already happened in 2021 with the successes at the Tokyo Olympics. But will the kids who want to do athletics find adequate answers? In clubs and in sports facilities? First of all, it is not true that there are no tracks. There are many slopes in Italy, as many as are needed to carry out activities. But too many are abandoned. Or they are continually mistreated. This is the case of Mombarone, in Acqui Terme. Track that has existed since 1978, then rebuilt in 1988. It has also hosted regional championships. In a town that has traditions in athletics. Starting from the great Luigi Facelli. World class 400m champion in the last century. Well this system is rendered unusable by a fixed gazebo. Planted right on the trail. Which prevents the young people of Acquirunners from doing activities.
But in the area there are different emblematic cases. In the Pavia area there are two functioning tracks, Pavia And Voghera. Renovated in recent years, and functional. Then, there is They lived, at the Dante Merlo stadium. Under renovation for more than a year. A final lead is to Casorate First. But it would need work to be usable again. There was a modern and efficient runway at Broniin the early nineties. It has hosted some competitions. It was perfect. But it was abandoned, and now unusable. A nice track nearby ea Binasco. In the past it has also hosted important competitions. But this too would need to be redone.
The Alexandrian would be better in terms of numbers. Seven tracks. But only Alessandria is used, the only functional one. Novi Ligure was made of synthetics in 1982. It hosts some races, but is in very precarious conditions. Tortona was renovated in 1998. But it hasn’t hosted races since 2008. Dilapidated and unusable, and in need of work. Casale Monferrato is in tennisolite, and should be redone. Last race held in 1998. Arquata Scrivia and on concrete. And it only hosts training sessions. The last race took place there in 2004. Here is the situation, which is similar to other areas. There are several facilities, which need work. But even more, there is a lack of people who organize events.
Today track meetings are rarer than in the past. In Tortona, in 1981, with a track then made of tennisolite. As many as 15 athletics events took place. With an average of 150 athletes per race. These numbers no longer exist. And a young man who wanted to do athletics. He wouldn’t find adequate answers. If not in companies without a track. How is the Serravallese. There is no track in Serravalle Scrivia. But the activity continues anyway. In a makeshift facility. Which means that motivation and passion help you overcome obstacles. While there is no need to spend so much on new tracks. But try to bring the existing situation back to correct use.
